Vicissitude
by sari15
Summary: One of the sudden or unexpected changes or shifts often encountered in one's life, activities, or surroundings. Kagome spent three years chasing Naraku, finding the shards, and living a double life. Suddenly she's facing a nightmare she never dreamed of…
1. The Well

Chapter One

**The Well**

Sighing, Kagome bit the top of the french-fry in her hand in effort to not lash out in frustration. Taking a few seconds longer than necessary to finish eating it, she looked Ayumi square in the eyes. "He's _not_ my boyfriend. I've told you, he's just a _friend_-a good friend. My _best_ friend."

She could tell they didn't believe a word that she said; not that this surprised her; they never believed her when she told them this. Over the past three years they had each taken turns trying to get her to admit about some non-existent relationship she had with InuYasha; apparently today was Ayumi's day. "I bet he brings you _flowers_ when you are in the hospital. Is he romantic, Kagome?"

Yes, they had to sic the _romantic _friend on her today. _'Maybe if I fake one of my 'illnesses' they'll let me leave without asking anymore questions.'_ Looking around the table, she couldn't help but groan at the three pairs of eyes anxiously waiting for her response. "Ayumi, _romance_ and _InuYasha_ don't really belong in the same sentence together."

"Kagome, you've been with him for three _years_. He has to have done _something_ romantic in that time."

"Yuka, trust me when I tell you: he's just my friend."

"Has he kissed you?"

Glaring at Eri, Kagome growled, "No."

"Bought you dinner?"

Thinking back to the fish he caught two nights ago, she guessed that didn't count. He caught enough for _everyone_ since they had to eat. "No."

"Cooked you dinner?"

'_Ramen count?' _"Nope."

"Haven't you done anything _remotely_ romantic? Walks alone at night? Stargazing? Cuddled in front of a fire?"

She could feel the heat as her face flushed with color as she attempted to say something in her defense. Her mouth opened and closed as the words refused to come out. They didn't understand that doing those things weren't _romantic_, at least not where InuYasha was concerned. There wasn't much else _to_ do but stargaze…it was almost like television. They needed some alone time to talk on occasion, a walk always offered the best solution late at night. Not to mention that it got _cold_ at night sometimes, snuggling with a friend was the easiest way to stay warm.

"You…how…I was just _kidding_, Kagome," Ayumi stuttered, her eyes wide in surprise. "I never thought you would have actually have _done_ any of them. Even if you had, you never tell us anything about him."

"Which one is it?" Yuka asked as she took a drink of her Coke before adding. "I figured you were lying about the whole 'he's never kissed me' thing, but you can't lie at all. A blush like that definitely means _yes._"

"It's not like that!"

"Well at least we know for sure she really _hasn't_ kissed him." Eri laughed.

"I don't think he's just a _friend_ though," Ayumi sighed, "I wonder which one of those they have done."

"It's not _like_ that!" Kagome growled in frustration. _'Of course they would find these things romantic, they aren't the ones camping out in freezing cold weather.' _"The doctor thinks the fresh air is good for my health, so we go camping every so often."

Her response seemed to deflate whatever hopes Eri and Ayumi had about _'the relationship'_, but Yuka just looked intrigued by the whole situation. "So, let me get this straight…You go camping…_alone_ with him?"

The french fry Kagome threw hit Yuka in the face, making them all giggle. "_Stop it!_ I've told you guys, he's not my boyfriend and I mean it."

"But you like him though, don't you?"

Eri's question sobered Kagome up quickly. "Yeah," she sighed, "I do. Things with InuYasha have _always_ been complicated though. There's been too much to think about, too much to finish before I ever even thought of letting my feelings known. Even then, I don't know if I would want to risk my friendship with him."

"Are you sure he doesn't feel the same way?" Ayumi asked quietly, gloom settling over the table at Kagome's confession.

Playing with the straw of her soda, visions of Kikyou ran through her head and she sighed, "Yeah, I'm sure."

Silence permeated the group, no one willing to bring up the subject again, but unsure of what direction the new conversation should take. It was several uncomfortable moments before Eri finally said, "We weren't sure if you were going to graduate with us, Kagome. I don't know how you finished so quickly, you were so far behind for so long."

"Yeah, I don't know how you graduated before us." Yuka added.

"Mom fought to let them let me take aptitude tests to see exactly what I needed to take when I had been sick for about a year. Turns out I had only a few semesters of stuff I needed to take to graduate, mostly math."

She had graduated almost six months ago while her friends still had almost an entire year left. She had studied for those exams non-stop for about three months, which had driven InuYasha crazy. He hated the fact that her attention wasn't entirely on the quest during that time, she needed to leave and take more 'tests'. She wasn't sure why, but that word soon became something that he refused to have uttered in his presence…so she started substituting the word 'exams'. Even that one didn't last more than a week without him throwing a fit.

The time had been more than worth it, her life had been so much less stressful not having so many courses to take for that year and a half. It helped her focus on the classes having less of them, and she graduated with grades she never could have dreamed of had she not done this. Not to mention the peace of the last six months she wouldn't trade for the world, her arguments with InuYasha about going home had diminished. In fact, more often then not he wanted a refill on the ramen stash sooner then she expected to visit home.

'_Speaking of ramen stash…'_ Kagome sighed, thinking about the hanyou. "I should get home guys. I've got to help Mama get some stuff done around the shrine today." Climbing out of the booth, she picked up her tray and dumped the left over food into a trash receptacle before giving her friends a quick wave as she left WacDnalds. _'He'll give me a day, but he rarely even lets me stay overnight without a fight. I should get home before he comes looking for me.'_

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"He doesn't have to be so loud about it."

"I think he's pacing." The voice paused, as if listening for something specific. "Yes, definitely pacing."

"That sounds like pretty irritated pacing."

"It _is _InuYasha, Sango. We both know how easy it is for him to get irritated. Do you think he was born with that scowl on his face?"

'_The monk will be the first to go, followed by the taijiya.'_

"He's just cranky 'cause Kagome's not here."

'_Keh, _kitsune_ first_ then _the monk.'_

"You'd think he'd be used to it by now. I mean, she's never gone for very _long_ anymore." Sango sighed, "Oh good, the pacing stopped."

"I _can _hear, you know?"

"We didn't doubt that, InuYasha." Miroku chuckled, the ringing of his staff accompanying the gentle thump on the roof beneath the hanyou. "Why don't you come down here for awhile? Kagome won't be back for a few more hours."

"Who cares?"

"You, for one," Sango muttered, though he was sure he wasn't supposed to hear _that_. He listened as the taijiya cleared her throat before giving what was bound to be one of her comments on his behavior. Leaping off the roof before the first word could reach his ears; he took off toward the nearest tree, easily landing on one of the lowest branches.

Settling himself onto the limb, he swung one leg down to dangle his foot while he brought the other foot up, wrapping his arms around his knee. Truth be told, he _did_ want to go get Kagome but knew if he went, she'd be livid. She barely spent anytime at home as it was, and him dragging her away from her family would just earn him a couple of 'osuwari' and a pissed off miko. _'Not worth it,'_ he sighed.

Flicking his ears briefly, the feel of a strange youkai suddenly passed over him drawing him out of his musing. _'Keh, what was stupid enough not to stay away from here?'_ Dropping from his branch, he followed the direction it was coming from, somewhat interested in what youkai would be stupid enough to wonder into _his_ woods thinking it would survive.

He was about halfway to his destination before he caught the scent of it, realized where it was coming from. His heart skipped a beat as he missed the next tree branch, tumbling to the ground from the shock. Unable to catch his breath, as he had knocked the wind out of himself upon landing, he gasped for air as he scrambled to his feet. Coughing, he ignored the stabbing pain in his chest as he turned and ran back the direction he had came from. An all-consuming fear had taken hold in his stomach, he knew that what he was about to do, he couldn't do alone.

Reaching the hut at a pace that couldn't have been faster if all the hounds of hell were after him, he stormed through the door, searching for Miroku. "Oi, you're coming with me."

They ignored him, continuing on with whatever had their attention at the time. It was a few seconds before any of them even acknowledged he was there. "You're growly today," Sango commented absently as she polished Hiraikotsu. "Why didn't you just go with her?"

"Yes, she tends to put up with your moods better than the rest of us do anyway," Miroku added, watching the taijiya with interest as she worked.

"Shut the hell up; you can't feel that?"

"Feel what, InuYasha?" Shippou asked looking up from the picture he was coloring for Kagome.

"I'll admit; I feel a little something in the air," Miroku replied quietly, using his shakujo to push up from his place on Kaede's floor. "Should we go check it out?"

He hated that look, something Miroku did always made InuYasha believe that he possessed the power to read his mind, see his fears, know his heart. "Yeah, it's probably just some lower youkai that stupidly wondered into the area," he lied as he turned to storm back outside, Miroku on his heels.

The two walked in amicable silence for awhile heading for the outskirts of the village, InuYasha refusing to show how shaken he really was. He wasn't one to normally get worked up about strange youkai around the village; it was notorious for attracting them because of the jewel. Until her death Kikyou had guarded the shikon no tama, protected it from those who coveted it—including him. She had taken it with her to the afterlife, determined to keep it from corruption again. With Kagome's arrival through the well, the attraction had returned to the village. Kagome had brought the shikon no tama with her from the future; it was his job to protect Kagome. That included protecting the village, to protect her.

"InuYasha? You do realize where we're going, don't you?"

"Fuck, Miroku! I'm not stupid."

"Is there something you aren't telling me?"

'_What? That my stomach is in knots and I feel like puking 'cause I'm so fucking worried? Screw you!'_ He refused to answer; instead he just kept walking until they reached their destination.

"I'm not surprised you wanted someone to come with you."

Leveling a glare at the monk, he still refused to talk to him.

"Whatever it was it's gone now."

"Doesn't help."

"It was probably nothing," Miroku chuckled to himself as he took a seat on the ground. "Whatever it was must not have realized it was _your_ well. I assume you want me to wait for you to return."

Climbing up onto the well, InuYasha turned to Miroku, "It wasn't here long, but it smells like Naraku."

The stunned expression that crossed Miroku's face might have amused him in a different situation. He watched as panic filled the monk's eyes. "He can't…no…he doesn't…_why_?"

"_Fuck_, Miroku! I don't _know_!" He growled, staring into the well. "I'll be right back."

"I'm not going anywhere, InuYasha. I'll be right here when you get back with Kagome."

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"I'm glad you had a nice time, Kagome," Mrs. Higurashi commented as she used the kitchen shears to cut the chicken breasts, preparing them to cook for dinner.

"Yeah, I don't get to see them much anymore since I graduated." Kagome answered, dumping the vegetables that she had been slicing into a bowl before putting it next to the stove so they would be ready to be used when the time came. "I mean, it was nice just to have a short break from the past. I need that every once in awhile, I think."

"It's good for you, I think," Mama answered. "You've seen a lot of tragedy in the past three years, Kagome. You've seen and done things that people can't even fathom, grown up faster than I could ever have imagined. You need a place where you can relax and not have to worry about any of it, even if for a day."

"Yeah," she sighed, walking to the sink to wash her hands off. "I just wish everyone could forget about everything that's happened to them, even if it's just for a day. The rest of them have been through so much, Mama. I sometimes wonder if I really have a reason being there, they've all lost so much. I feel like I shouldn't be allowed to unwind—does that make sense?"

"Of course, but I know for a fact that there's a reason you are there."

"Oh?"

"Of course, Kagome." Mama laughed, "I know I have only met one of your friends from the past, but seeing how much InuYasha has changed in these three years—seeing how much he needs you there. You are needed by all of them, in different ways, aren't you?"

"You think so? I guess I never really thought about it in that way." Drying her hands on a towel, Kagome gave a little smile thinking about what mama had said.

"Can you get me the rice, Kagome?"

"Sure," she answered as she put the towel back up to dry.

"Are you staying for dinner?"

Kagome reached for the bag of rice on the top shelf of the pantry, "I don't know. I guess it depends on if InuYasha comes back for me before then." Grunting in frustration as the rice was still out of her reach, she put her left foot on the bottom shelf as she pushed herself up. "What are you making for dinner? You might want to make extra if it's something he likes."

"I was planning on—Kagome! What are you doing?"

"Too late," Kagome laughed, grasping the bag of rice from the top shelf and yanking it. She had expected the rice to fall—she hadn't anticipated the avalanche of ramen that accompanied it. Falling to the ground as she gave into the attack of the instant soup, her laughter quickly escalated into fits of giggles. "Are you trying to feed all of Tokyo ramen?"

The sound of her mother's gentle laughter filled the air. "No, just InuYasha." Placing the chicken in the sink before washing her hands, Mrs. Higurashi then came over to help Kagome stack the ramen on the kitchen table. "I don't think it—InuYasha, we were just talking about you."

Kagome turned, giving him a smile as he stormed into the kitchen. "Hi! Do you want to--"

"We're going, _now_."

'_Huh? He never acts like this anymore.' _He grabbed her arm loosely, yanking her away from the table and out the kitchen door. "Wait, I need to get my bag."

"No time."

'_No time for my _bag_?' _Something strange was going on, she had one more trick up her sleeve to get his attention."Well, let me get the ramen mama got for you at least."

He slowed down, _'I knew it; ramen always does the trick.'_

"There's no time, Kagome."

She stumbled at the words as a bone chilling fear seeped into her soul; she forced herself to ask the question on the tip of her tongue. "Is everyone okay? What's wrong?" She dug her heels into the dirt in the courtyard of the shrine, forcing him to let her go—to talk to her. "What _happened_?"

"Nothing," he growled, grabbing her hand and pulling her behind him.

Kagome finally gave up her resistance and tried to keep up with the hanyou, though she was still being dragged along. "I know something is wrong, InuYasha. You won't even let me take my bag with us—or ramen."

"Keh."

"Don't deny it!"

"Nothing has happened- yet."

"Yet?" He stopped right outside the well house, turning to glare at her. There was fear in his eyes though, something she rarely saw from the hanyou. She sighed, something _was _wrong. "InuYasha, what's going on?" She asked quietly, moving her wrist from his grasp and replacing it with her hand.

"There was a youkai hanging around the well today."

"Oh? Is that it?" she asked, pulling his hand back toward the shrine in an effort to get him to go back into the house. "That isn't the first time, InuYasha. I mean, I _was_ dragged down that well by Mistress Centipede. It's not the first time there have been youkai around it. I am sure you handled it just fine, you always do."

She tugged his hand again, but he wouldn't move. _'You'd think he'd never fought a youkai before…'_

"It smelled like one of Naraku's."

She froze, unable to even breathe through the burning lump that formed in her throat as she slowly turned back to him, looked him straight in the eyes and whispered. "You're kidding. Please tell me this is a joke." He yanked on her hand, pulling her onto his back with practiced ease from the past three years but still didn't answer. Taking a shaky breath, she clenched her hands in the crimson haori as he took them to the side of the well. "InuYasha?"

"Yeah?"

"You won't let him do anything to the well, will you?"

"Keh, what the hell kinda question is that?"

She sighed, "I know, I trust you but— this is my _family_. If anything happened to them…even if I couldn't see them anymore…"

"I know, Kagome," he sighed, dropping into the well.

She just gripped his haori a little tighter.

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A/N:

vi·cis·si·tude

1. A change or variation.

2. The quality of being changeable; mutability.

2. One of the sudden or unexpected changes or shifts often encountered in one's life, activities, or surroundings. A variation in circumstances or fortune at different times in your life or in the development of something

…Just in case you were wondering about the title. There is actually a meaning behind it.

Special thanks to my 'beta', (who shall remain anonymous…because I am selfish like that) for her wonderful work…and naming this one for me. I think you even found a crazier name for this fic then I found for yours…I didn't think that would be possible.

I think we are on a mission to educate the masses with crazy words that have perfect meaning behind them. (That must be our plan for world domination.)


	2. Mama

Chapter Two

**Mama**

'_Six hundred and forty-two…six hundred and forty-three…six hundred and forty-four. Strange…That's different then the last time. One…two…three…' _Heaving a sigh, she started counting the planks of wood on Kaede's floor for the third time. She couldn't remember spending so much time in one place on this side of the well; sedentary life wasn't something she was used to after spending so long constantly on the move. Even when at home with her family she had constantly been running at full speed trying to visit all of her friends and catching up on her homework—when she did have homework—before InuYasha came to bring her back to the past.

"You can't have it! I had it first!"

"Oi, it's the last one. Give it here, runt."

'…_twelve…thirteen…fourteen…'_

"If you hadn't eaten them all there would be one for you."

"_Why you…"_

"Osuwari," she muttered without even glancing at the pair. _'Fifteen…sixteen…seventeen…hmmm…I wonder how many planks that killed.' _She came to the conclusion that it wasn't worth it to count them anymore, since she'd get a different number depending on if InuYasha had broken any in his fall. "Can I go home yet? I have plenty of ramen there. It's just _someone_ wouldn't let me bring it back with me."

"What the hell did you do that for?"

Sighing, she briefly glared at the hanyou as he climbed out of the newest indention on the floor before closing her eyes. She could feel the tension in her shoulders, her back, even in her legs but the irritation that overwhelmed her in that moment forced her hands to ball up. Pulling in every ounce of energy she had as she willed her body to relax, she took a deep breath to prevent herself from beating the stuffing out of him. "Can I go home for a little bit?"

"Keh, _no_!"

She watched as InuYasha jammed his hands in his haori and pinned her with a look that easily conveyed to her that he thought she was stupid for asking…which only piqued her temper more. Refusing to back down from his perusal, she stubbornly maintained eye contact with the hanyou…as Shippou scampered off with the ramen the two of them had been fighting over. She almost cracked a smile when she first saw his eye twitch, but only _almost_. She refused to be the one to break first.

"_Damn it, wench!_" he growled, finally breaking eye contact and turning to chase after the kitsune.

"I _want_ to go _home_, InuYasha."

He stopped dead in his tracks, slowly turning to face her. "You ain't going home, Kagome," he said quietly.

"Why _not_? You said yourself that whatever it was hasn't been back." Kagome cried, scrambling to her feet. "Why can't I just go home for a little bit? I will come right back, I swear. It's been two weeks of just sitting here; we don't even know what we are waiting _for_."

"What do you think we're waiting for? _Naraku_!"

"Well…Where is he, InuYasha?"

"_What?_" he growled softly, his anger a palpable thing as she watched him clench his claws and narrow his glare at her. She knew she had probably stepped over the line; the rage in his golden eyes spoke the words that he couldn't.

"It's been two weeks, InuYasha. Naraku is nowhere in sight. I think I can go home now."

"No, you can't," he grasped her arms with his hands, forcing her to look at him. "We don't know what Naraku has done to the well. What if you get through and can't come back?"

"We don't know that's he's _done_ anything to it," she said quietly, finally understanding his resistance, his fear—his eyes could always tell her what she needed to know. She gave him a small smile as he scowled at her, "besides, if Naraku does trap me in my time, it will just make his quest for the complete jewel more difficult. He'll have to wait five hundred years to get the last piece."

InuYasha didn't seem to like that idea, his scowl turned into a snarl.

"Or…you can just come with me. You know, make sure nothing happens to me…make sure I get enough ramen to bring back…"

His grip on her arms loosened as his face relaxed into his usual irritated scowl, "Fine, wench. I'm going, but we ain't staying long." Finally releasing her, he stormed out of Kaede's hut leaving Kagome behind. "_Get moving before I change my mind!_" he yelled over his shoulder.

She couldn't hold down the bubble of excitement that welled within her. Not only was he taking her _home_, she was pretty much convinced the idea of them being apart scared him as much as it did her. She'd always known he needed her by his side, he hadn't ever trusted anyone the way he did her. She was his best friend, although she desired more, it was something she wouldn't ever risk losing. He needed her friendship more then he needed to worry about the feelings she had that he wouldn't ever return. The little niche she had carved in his life was right where she needed to be, by his side as his friend.

"Kagome?"

Yanked from her musing by the kitsune, she gave him a smile as he came into the hut, still eating the cup of ramen. "InuYasha is going to take me home for a little bit. Kaede is down picking herbs, why don't you go help her for a little bit until Miroku and Sango come back."

"He's taking you home? I didn't think he would _ever _let you go again."

"Just for a little bit." She laughed, pushing him out of the hut. "Go find Kaede and stay with her. Miroku and Sango should be back soon, I promise. Let them know where we went, I don't think we'll be long though. If I don't catch up to InuYasha, he's not gonna let me go."

"Hurry back, Kagome," Shippou said before scampering off in the direction of the fields.

"I always do, Shippou," she said softly. "I _always_ do."

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She couldn't help as the small chuckle that swelled inside escaped. Watching her brother trying to teach the hanyou how to play soccer had been entertaining enough, but InuYasha couldn't understand that using your hands wasn't allowed. For his efforts, Souta had a soccer ball that currently rested in four pieces and a hanyou that seemed to have quickly gone from tolerant to irritated…and was sitting in Goshinboku.

"I am so proud of you, Kagome."

"Huh?" Kagome turned around, noticing her mother had taken a seat at the kitchen table with a cup of tea in her hand…and another on the spot across from her. "Proud of me? Why?" She asked, walking over to where her mother obviously wanted Kagome to join her, she sat down and waited for the answer.

"When you first fell down the well, I didn't know what to think. You suddenly had this 'mission' with this strange boy from the other side of the well." Mama gave her a small smile which Kagome couldn't help thinking that it lit up her face in a way she hadn't ever seen before. "It's always been hard watching you go, but I see you with InuYasha and I know that you are in good hands."

Kagome snorted. "He wasn't always so…well…he wasn't always that way. There's a lot I haven't told you."

Mama's smile faded, "Yes, I clean out all the blood and dirt from your clothes, I refill the first aid kit and I see the exhaustion in both you and InuYasha. I honestly think I am better off not knowing everything that happens."

"Yeah, but that's not what I meant," Kagome sighed. "He went from trying to kill me, to a jerk, to--"

"He tried to kill you?"

"Well, only the once…"

Mrs. Higurashi laughed. "You left in such a rush last time, forgot to take him his ramen."

"Yeah…that." Kagome sighed, carefully sipping the hot tea as she wondered how much she should actually tell her mother. "He'd been in kind of a hurry at the time. Strangely, he wanted me to come back with him more then he wanted to take time to get the ramen."

Mrs. Higurashi looked like she wanted to laugh, which Kagome thought was probably due to the fact that InuYasha had practically _inhaled_ three cups of the soup upon arrival. "It must have been important if he willingly left the ramen behind." Mama sighed, her face taking on a more serious emotion before adding, "I'll admit I was expecting something different when you returned. I haven't seen either of you look so….relaxed. There isn't even a bruise on you."

Kagome fingered the teacup as she focused on the liquid in the cup, unsure of what to say. "Well…" she started, giving a short sigh as she looked up at her mother. "He came because he had a lead on Naraku."

She bit her lip and refocused her attention back on the cup of tea, staring into the amber liquid as she contemplated what to tell her mother. She'd told her mother the basics of what she did but not everything. It was one thing to know your daughter put her life in danger…it was another to know exactly how _much_ danger and how _often_.

"Usually we have to go searching for clues as to his whereabouts," Kagome began, tearing her eyes away from the tea, forcing herself to look at her mother. "Apparently there were some signs around the village that he'd been there. We spent the last two weeks in the village waiting to see if he would reappear."

Mama looked a little confused by her answer, Kagome could tell there was a question on the tip of her tongue but not sure if she would ask it or not. "You were on the other side of the well, in the village, this whole time?"

'_Ahh…yeah that seems strange. I always come home when we are in the village…'_ Kagome sighed, knowing she should tell her mother something…just in case. "Alright, Naraku wasn't in the village, he was outside it…investigating something."

"Oh…"

'_She doesn't get it…'_ Kagome bit her lip, something inside her refused to let her say the words out loud, as if _voicing_ it would make every fear come to life. She couldn't seem to find the right words, how to put it in a way that Mama could understand without actually having to come out and tell her. "Something he could probably tell was of great interest to InuYasha and I, and he was probably curious as to why…"

"Oh…_Oh!_" Kagome watched the emotions flit over Mama's face: confusion…comprehension…and finally fear. Not saying a word, Mama stood up from her chair and slowly walked to the window, the room had taken on an aura of melancholy that was almost stifling as her mother watched Souta and InuYasha from the kitchen window. "It's been three years already, hasn't it? You've lived two lives…never really able to adapt to either of them completely. I've trusted InuYasha to always bring you back to me…and I've trusted that the choices you've made in your life have been the right ones for you. You haven't ever let me down and I don't think you ever will." The sad smile that graced Mama's face as she stared outside tugged at something deep within Kagome, the sudden lump that swelled within her throat constricted her breathing; she forced herself to look away from the scene. "That's why I'm proud of you."

The room was silent as Kagome stared at her fingers, gripping the teacup in her hands. As usual, Mama had known just what to say to make Kagome feel better about the whole situation...all without actually giving her any answers. Biting her lip, she blinked several times, willing the sudden tears that had formed in her eyes to clear. Turning back to the window, she said, "Thank you…Mama?"

Her mother was gone.

In her round-about way, Mama had given her blessing by accepting whatever decision Kagome needed to make. She trusted Kagome's judgment and if it came down to it; had confidence that whatever choice she made would be the right one.

Standing up, she gathered the dishes from the table and emptied them in the sink before rinsing them out. Taking a dishtowel from a drawer, she took a moment to dry the china and put them away in the cupboard. Hanging the towel up to dry, she then wandered back over to the window and watched as Mama tried to get Souta away from InuYasha. _'He keeps watching what Souta is doing. It's almost like he enjoys the attention, but doesn't want anyone to know it.'_ Souta finally listened to Mrs. Higurashi's plea and left the hanyou alone in the tree.

She heard the door shut as Mama came back inside, but she remained alone in the kitchen discerning the light footfalls on the steps behind her. Refocusing on the scene in front of her, she pressed her hands against the glass as InuYasha slowly emerged from within the safety of Goshinboku as Souta pulled out various balls from within the shed. Curiosity got the best of the hanyou as a baseball rolled across the ground before stopping when it bounced off the trunk of the tree. He leapt to the ground, eyeing the foreign object with interest before crouching down and sniffing it.

Kagome had to bite her lip to keep herself from laughing; even inside she wasn't positive his hanyou hearing wouldn't be able to pick up her amusement. If he caught wind of others observing his actions, he'd be back in the tree before she could say 'osuwari'. His stubbornness had developed to almost legendary status during the last three years, at this point if he returned to the confines of the Goshinboku; it would take all night to get him out.

He slowly reached out and prodded it with a finger, unsure about what he should do with it. Kagome smiled, his wariness of things in her time entertained her more then it probably should…but seeing the hanyou who took on dangerous youkai without giving a second thought—distrustful of a baseball. Well, who wouldn't find it funny?

"Your backpack is packed and ready to go, Kagome."

Turning to her mother, she couldn't help but be surprised. She always packed her own bag…Mama had always done more then enough for them by providing food and first aid supplies. "Oh? Thanks." She glanced outside just in time to watch Souta throw the baseball at InuYasha, who dodged it causing it to slam into the side of the well house. Both boys just stood there watching as it splintered into the side, knocking several wood planks loose. "Yeah, I suppose it's time to head back."

Mama just smiled, handing Kagome her backpack.

They got outside just in time to watch Souta throw another baseball at the hanyou. Kagome groaned as InuYasha yanked Tetsusaiga out of it's sheath, lifting the sword high above his head before slamming it into the ground with a shout of 'Kaze no Kizu'. When the debris cleared, the ball was gone…as well as a large section of Mama's flower garden.

"Oh dear." Mama sighed.

"That was awesome, Inu-nii-chan! Let's do it again!"

"Keh."

"What? _No!_ InuYasha, don't you _dare_!" Kagome growled, storming over to him as she gave him a look that he would easily recognize as saying _'you're entering osuwari territory.'_ "We are going back, _now_."

He sheathed the sword with a disappointed sigh, before taking the backpack from her. "Fine, let's go wench," he growled, disappearing into the well house.

"Bye, Mama." She said chasing after the hanyou. "Bye Souta, be good for Mama. Say goodbye to Grandpa for me."

"I love you, Kagome. Be careful."

Her mother's soft words stopped her dead in her tracks, placing a hand on the side of the well house as she turned to face Mama. The sadness emitting from her mother overwhelmed Kagome, another lump swelled within her throat as they stared at each other. "I love you too, Mama."

"Make sure he takes care of you."

"You're acting like she's never coming back!" Souta complained, "It's not like she won't be back for more ramen in a week or so."

"I'll be back, even if it's just for ramen." Kagome laughed, as a clawed hand grabbed her hand and pulled her into the well house. "Bye!"

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

He shrugged his shoulders, surprised at how quickly the tension left his body when they reached this side of the well. It was as if it melted off of him as soon as he placed Kagome on the surrounding grass, he hadn't realized how keyed up he'd been all afternoon. He'd done his best to put the irrational feeling that Kagome shouldn't be going home behind him, but it had taken all he had to stop himself from throwing her over his shoulder and returning her to the past.

Three years she'd been here, and every year it had become harder and harder to convince himself that she _didn't_ belong here…her home was in the future with her family. When everything was over and done with, that's where she would return to.

"Wow…I am actually surprised we made it."

'_What?'_ His mouth dropped as he glared at Kagome. "_You_ didn't think we'd make it?"

She adjusted the backpack on her shoulders, before turning and giving him a smile. "Naraku has been around the well, InuYasha. We never would have known if he'd done something or not if we hadn't gone."

'_She…she was worried…'_ he glared at her back as she walked away. "Damn it, Kagome!"

"What?" She looked over her shoulder and smiled. "We made it back just fine. I wouldn't worry about it anymore."

As much as he wanted to argue with her, he knew he couldn't since he was as relieved that the well remained unharmed as she was. To be honest, it wasn't something he would be able to put at the back of his mind though. The truth was, Naraku had been there and for some reason had found something of interest to him in the well, which in itself was a bad omen.

Following the path that had become well worn with use during the last three years, they headed for the village. He stayed a few lengths behind her, keeping an eye on their surroundings as they walked. He could sense one youkai nearby and approaching quickly, which didn't surprise him at all. Neither did it surprise him when the youkai launched itself into Kagome's unsuspecting arms.

"Shippou!" She laughed.

"You said Miroku and Sango would be back soon. They're not back yet."

"They aren't?" Kagome looked over her shoulder back at him; InuYasha could see the worry in her eyes. "I wonder what is taking them so long?"

"Miroku probably found some girls to hit on." InuYasha snorted, "Sango wouldn't want to drag his ass home after knocking the crap outta him. She's waiting for him to regain consciousness, so he can walk himself."

She bit her lip, as if she was trying not to laugh. She finally gave in as her laughter echoed through the forest, something he never tired of. "Stop it. He's not that bad—anymore."

"Keh, you weren't with him on rounds last time."

"But he wouldn't do that with Sango."

"I dunno…I think he likes the pain."

"I think InuYasha is right." Shippou chimed in, pulling Kagome's backpack from her shoulders. As soon as she put it down, he ripped into it, digging through the contents.

"Oi! What are you doing, runt?"

"Looking for Pocky…lollypops…candy…" He pulled out a large book. "Hey Kagome…What's this?"

"Huh?" She dropped to the ground next to the kitsune. She took the book from Shippou and opened it. "Oh…Mama must have put this in…" She trailed off as she opened it, her mouth dropping in shock. A small piece of paper fell from within and fluttered to the ground.

The smell of the salt from her tears assaulted him as she stared at several of the pages, he glared at the book…instantly hating something that would make her so upset. She picked up the paper from the ground and read the contents; a single tear streamed down her face before she put it down and flipped through several more pages of the book.

InuYasha grabbed the paper from the ground and scanned it, looking for what would have upset her so much. There wasn't much written on the paper, _'Just in case you need it.'_ He growled crumpling the paper in his fist; he had no idea what would have upset her from that.

"What is it, Kagome?" Shippou asked, watching her with a hint of fear.

"It's a photo album. Mama thought I might like to have it." She closed it before wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "We should get back to Kaede's. I am sure Miroku and Sango will be back any moment."

"Fine, we'd be there if you would stop blubbering." InuYasha growled, grabbing her backpack and storming off toward the village. He looked over his shoulder at Kagome as she scrambled to her feet. "Get to moving, wench."

She pressed the book tightly to her chest and glared at him. "You are such a jerk."

"Hey, I smell Miroku and Sango," Shippou said, taking off past InuYasha toward the village.

"Wait up, InuYasha." Kagome cried, jogging to catch up with him. "I wonder what took them so long."

He shrugged, wondering the same thing himself. They had been gone for most of the day, which wasn't normal at all. "I guess we'll find out." Both Miroku and Sango were waiting outside of the hut talking with Shippou when they got there.

"I think we've got a lead." Miroku said with a smile.

"There was word of several major youkai attacks in a town just north of here. It's not much…but it's the only lead we've had in awhile." Sango added.

"Do you think it's worth checking out, InuYasha?" Kagome asked, taking her backpack from him.

"I don't see why not; nothing else to go off of right now."

"Let me put this somewhere safe before we go." Kagome said, rushing inside Kaede's hut to put the photo album away.

"Like we said, it's not a big lead but it _is_ something." Miroku said, "It's the first real lead we've had since…well…"

"I know," InuYasha growled, turning to the hut before yelling, "Let's go, wench!"

Kagome skittered from the hut, muttering "I'm coming…I'm coming…"

Waiting until she was within arms reach, he reached out and dragged her onto his back with practiced ease. As she wrapped her arms around his neck and tightened her legs around his hips, he couldn't help thinking—and not for the first time, that this way of traveling was his favorite. He'd take his opportunities while he could, knowing that when it was all over…she wouldn't be here any longer.

Watching as Miroku, Sango and Shippou all climbed up on Kirara, he took a moment to thank another unexpected change that had arisen in the past year—Shippou was too big to ride with the two of them anymore.

He had her all to himself.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

_A/N_

_Wow...everyone was worried about Naraku being at the well. Apparently nothing happened to it though, InuYasha and Kagome managed to get back and forth with no problems. Now everything is back to normal, on the road again…_

_Luckily I didn't get sued last chapter…I don't think I left a disclaimer!_

_Here it is!_

_I do not own InuYasha or the characters affiliated with the Manga and Anime. They are the property of Rumiko Takahashi…I am just 'borrowing' them for my own nefarious deeds. I own nothing, suing me won't help anyone._

_Sari-15_


	3. Divergence

Chapter Three

**Divergence**

"Pick it up!"

"Pick it up yourself, wench."

"It's not _my_ mess!"

"Keh," the hanyou scoffed, folding his arms inside the sleeves of his haori as he pouted. "Is too, not like I bought it."

Kagome's jaw dropped as she didn't know _what_ to say to that. Shippou's forceful cough diverted her attention as she turned to see the kitsune choking on his ramen, Miroku patting his back, smirking at her. Sango stared intensely into her Styrofoam cup, but the fact that she was biting her lip, trying not to laugh, completely gave away her amusement.

'_I knew it. He's _trying_ to make me mad!'_ Still unable to speak, she turned and gawked at the pouting hanyou as he continued to glower at her. A spark of satisfaction lit his golden eyes, quickly bringing her back to reality. He'd been a jerk all night, even more then usual, and she'd had enough. "Fine, I won't buy it anymore," she said, picking up his cup from the floor of the hut before tossing it in the fire. The scowl on his face as he watched the Styrofoam burn almost made Kagome laugh.

"Whatever, you guys just want to lounge around and rest. I would rather be out there," he growled, pointing out the window of the hut. "So what if we've got a dead end? We gotta do what we always do--"

"Some of us need sleep, InuYasha." Miroku sighed, tossing his cup into the fire before turning to face the hanyou. "We are merely human and need sleep. If you are so set on finding a new lead tonight, be my guest. We will stay here, get some rest and you can return for us in the morning."

"I'm not human." Shippou protested; his mouth full of ramen again.

"Good, then you can go with InuYasha," Sango laughed.

"Oi! I ain't taking the runt!"

"I'm not a runt!"

Kagome blocked out whatever response InuYasha made, letting the two of them burn off steam. Over the past year she'd realized that Shippou could defend himself against the hanyou. Kagome only stepped in when damage to property or innocent bystanders was inevitable, not to mention InuYasha needed a stress relief tonight, though Kagome understood his frustration. By the time they reached the nearby village, darkness had fallen. They searched the whole surrounding area, questioned everyone they came across… No one had seen or heard of any youkai attacks in several weeks.

Either the rumors were false or they'd ended up in the wrong town.

Too late to return to Kaede's; the headman had offered them hospitality for the evening, which they, for the most part, had readily agreed to. Although they were frustrated at the dead end they had come to, InuYasha refused to admit that their lead had proven false. He wanted to continue on to the next village: no rest, no breaks, and most definitely no sleeping.

Sighing, Kagome flopped down against the wall next to the hanyou as he pouted, rubbing a slightly singed ear. Figuring the ear was the product of Shippou, she glanced at the kitsune as she pulled her backpack on her lap. He was sporting a massive knot on his head and a scowl on his face, not that it surprised her. Even if one was to do any real damage to the other, which they rarely did, they'd be normal by morning anyway.

Undoing the zipper, she dug into the bag for a few moments before pulling out a green handled hairbrush and placing the bag on the floor next to her. Carefully pulling it through her hair, she concentrated on brushing out the snarls and grime that had accumulated on the road. It was next to impossible to keep it in good condition without the assistance of shampoo and conditioner; she wasn't sure how people lived before it was invented. It was a luxury her friends had become accustomed to during the past three years: Sango most of all.

Satisfied that her hair was at least detangled since brushing it was the closest she'd get to washing it that night. Turning to pull the bag back onto her lap, she found herself staring at her companion--- or more precisely, the mass of silver hair. An uncontrollable urge assaulted her, one that she refused to fight. Holding her breath, she slowly reached out, brush in hand, and pulled it through the hanyou's hair.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing, wench?" he growled, turning to scowl at the brush that she quickly removed from his hair.

"Nothing," she smiled. "It just looked like it wanted some attention."

He didn't comment, just glared at the brush in her hand for another moment before scowling at her as he jumped to his feet and stormed out of the hut. Blushing scarlet, Kagome didn't dare look at any of her remaining companions and frankly she knew them well enough to know exactly what sort of expressions they would have anyway. Watching them doing their best to _not_ laugh at her wasn't what she wanted to spend the rest of the night doing, especially about something she frequently did for the hanyou.

Not like they knew that, though.

Climbing to her feet, she refused to make eye contact with her friends as she headed after the hanyou. Stepping onto the porch, she inhaled the night wind as it brushed past, unable to find comfort within the fresh air this evening. Something cold and sinister danced among the breeze, as if it were crying, begging for her attention. The soft footfalls that landed behind her announced his arrival before the hand on her shoulder reached her, soothed her. "Something's not right, InuYasha," she whispered, leaning back, taking the comfort he offered.

"Get your stuff together."

Though his voice had been soft, it was filled with a mixture of strong emotions that forced her to respond to his request immediately. Once inside the hut, she found both Miroku and Sango frantically throwing everyone's belongings together. "What's going on Miroku?" she asked, throwing everything she could grasp into her backpack before dragging it onto her shoulders.

"I don't know, Kagome. I've never felt this before," he yelled as the wind suddenly picked up to an almost deafening howl. Miroku had one hand on Sango as he pushed her out of the hut, dragging Shippou behind with his other. Kagome took one last look around, making sure they had gotten everything they needed before racing after them.

Dragged onto InuYasha's back before she'd even completely left the hut, she clung to him, buried her head into his neck as he fought the wind for both of them. "Hold on," he growled, leaping onto the roof before springing into the nearest tree. "Don't fucking look up."

"Why?"

"Just don't!"

'_Kami, why did he have to tell me that? Now I _have_ to look!'_ Daring to glance directly above them, she saw Kirara fighting the same storm as InuYasha, but directly above the firecat was something she wished she'd never seen. "Oh…my…"

"I _fucking_ told you _not_ to look, wench," InuYasha yelled over his shoulder.

She hadn't expected him to hear over the riotous wind storm that they found themselves in the midst of, but apparently his hanyou hearing was stronger then she'd realized. She could barely hear his words, but knew he was screaming as loud as he could to be heard over the howling.

"You don't tell someone _not_ to look; it makes it more likely that they _will_!"

"I told you _not_ to!"

"But I did and there is _thousands_ of youkai up there, InuYasha. Not just a couple, but _thousands_!"

"I _know_!"

Gripping his haori a little tighter, she watched as the sky slowly filled with more and more of the youkai with every leap they made. _'They almost look like storm clouds, the way they slowly fill the sky. Even if the sun was out, it would still be this dark.'_

Kirara moved closer to InuYasha, making sure they all traveled together in one group incase the youkai decided to attack, which strangely, it appeared they had no intention of doing.

"Are we following them?" Kagome asked, still yelling to be heard over the deafening wind the youkai were creating.

"I'm not _trying_ to," the hanyou growled, landing on a sturdy branch so he could watch the phenomenon for a few moments. "They're headed in the same direction."

"I feared that," Miroku shouted from his place behind Sango on the firecat. "We better hurry, they are moving substantially—"

The wind suddenly died, interrupting the monk before he finished his sentence. Instantly everyone looked up to the sky, watching as the last of the youkai passed them. The stars slowly emerged from amidst the darkness, sparkling down as if nothing had just occurred.

"InuYasha, where are they headed?" Kagome forced herself to ask, afraid to hear his answer.

"They're covered in Naraku's stench," InuYasha growled, taking off again. "My guess is Kaede's."

OoOoOoOoOoO

'_We're still too far behind them,'_ he thought to himself, keeping an eye on the swarm of youkai directly in front of him. Intuition told him that the entire excursion to the neighboring village had been a diversion, someone or something—namely Naraku—wanted them away from Kaede's when he struck. _'Keh, he knows whatever he's planned don't stand a chance if we're there.'_

Leaping from tree to tree, he was just glad they were almost back to the village. He could handle whatever Naraku threw at them; he'd been doing it for the past three years.

Naraku had quickly figured out InuYasha's weakness: his friends—particularly Kagome. Time after time, Naraku had attempted to break the trust between them, thinking that was the key to the group's downfall.

'_I'll give the bastard credit: he's got us there.'_ Tightening his hold on Kagome, he acknowledged the truth in Naraku's plan. She was the glue that held their group together, without her none of them would have lasted this long. With every attempt, Kagome held her ground, put her trust in each of them—with amazing results. Somehow her unwavering conviction in each of them reinforced all their bonds. She believed in all of them, therefore they believed in each other.

Slowly sounds from the village began to infiltrate his senses. Still too far away to know exactly what was happening, he knew the villagers were putting up a fight. InuYasha forced himself to push down the tension that quickly built up as the rest of his senses kicked into high gear, overwhelming him. Wanting to keep Kagome in the dark of the situation as long as possible, he glanced at the rest of their companions on the firecat. Shippou caught the hanyou's attention, his body tense, angry. Slowly shaking his head with disgust, his eyes narrowed…the kitsune's rage practically radiated from him.

Still just a kid, Shippou had spent the past three years in the village, it was his home. They'd seen enough death and suffering on their travels to last a lifetime and InuYasha had assumed the kitsune had become immune to it all. From the look in his eyes, InuYasha had been very wrong. The scent of blood surrounded them as he watched Shippou try to keep his rage and frustration inside by clenching his eyes shut and balling his hands into tight fists.

For the first time ever, InuYasha wished Shippou wasn't a youkai.

If Shippou was human, he wouldn't hear the fighting. He wouldn't smell the blood as another villager was attacked. He wouldn't know that the villagers were risking their lives for a battle that wasn't their own. He wouldn't know that the battle wasn't in the village, that people were dying as they protected the well.

When Shippou finally opened his eyes again, InuYasha gave him a slight nod of encouragement before focusing back on getting to the well as fast as they could go. He could see Goshinboku in the distance, meaning they would be there within moments.

"InuYasha, w-why aren't we going to the village?" Kagome asked, he didn't miss the catch in her voice and figured she could hear the fighting by now.

He was saved from having to answer as a deafening _'crack'_ echoed around them. The violet light that followed lit up the night brighter then any firecracker could have before slowly fading. Several seconds later, all that remained was a streak of purple light that appeared to be shooting out straight from the ground. "Oh _fuck_," he growled as Kagome suddenly tightened her grip around his neck, blocking any chance he had of breathing normally.

"W-what was _that_?"

"I don't _know,_ and we won't find out if you strangle me first."

"_I'm not strangling you_," she yelled, loosening her hold on him.

"Keh, you afraid of a few youkai?"

"Of course not!"

"Not that you're any help, anyway," he snorted, trying to get her attention from whatever she might see as he leapt into Goshinboku. He figured it was as good of a point to assess the situation as any. Reaching his feet out to land on the branch, he came up with only air. _'What the…?'_

He knew the tree by heart, or rather _had_ known it. Pulling Kagome off his back as he pivoted mid-air before dragging her flush against his chest, he did everything he could to keep her above him as they fell. The look of shock on her face as she realized they were falling and there was nothing to stop them but the ground was enough to make him smile—if someone hadn't stolen a branch of his tree.

Bracing himself for the incoming impact, he cringed as Kagome released a frantic shriek as the ground quickly rose to meet them. _'Damn, she had to be next to the ears,'_ he thought, flattening the appendages as close to his head as he possibly could. The horrendous noise stopped only when his back connected with the earth, knocking the wind out of him. Unable to breathe, he was thankful that Kagome has stopped screaming...distracted by their abrupt landing.

"InuYasha! Are you okay?" She bent forward, touching his face as he fought to breathe. When he didn't immediately respond, her eyes slowly welled with tears.

"What'd you have for dinner, wench—rocks?"

Although it was only for an instant, if he hadn't been watching her so close he would have missed the way her face fell in disappointment before her eyes narrowed into a cold glare that she directed toward him. She quickly scrambled off of him, turning away, refusing to look at him. "You're such a jerk," he heard her mutter before adjusting the gigantic backpack and walking to the edge of Goshinboku.

Getting to his feet, he followed her to the tree to do some investigating of his own. Leaping into the branches, he got as close as he could to inspect the remains of the missing limb. _'Why the fuck would someone steal a branch?'_

"I bet it fell when the youkai storm hit," Kagome said absently, making him wonder how she _always_ seemed to have an answer for whatever he was thinking. He knew he hadn't spoken out loud, how did she always guess his thoughts?

"Keh, then where is it?"

She sighed, staring up at him from the base of Goshinboku, leaning against the trunk. "I don't know. It's just a _tree_, InuYasha."

'_Just a…'_ he glared at her, offended by her flippant comment. "_My_ tree…" he muttered, going back to his investigative work. The branch had been sturdy enough the last time he'd been on it to just break from the force of the youkai storm. It shouldn't have sustained any damage. Something had to have removed it on purpose…he refused to believe any other explanation.

"_InuYasha!_"

The voice came from nearby, Miroku. "Oh _fuck_!" he growled, leaping from the tree. He didn't have time to mess with Goshinboku; he'd forgotten about the well. Grabbing Kagome, he threw her on his back as he ran, suddenly remembering what they had been in a hurry about. Unsheathing Tetsusaiga as he ran, he released a _'Kaze no Kizu'_ as soon as he came into view of the battle. The youkai directly in front of Sango were hit by the attack, giving her the room she needed to do some real damage with Hiraikotsu.

Miroku did what he could, but the kazaana wouldn't do them any good with the saimyoshou around, leaving him with just his staff and ofuda. Neither was helping Sango nor the remaining villagers against the youkai except to get the stray youkai that got past the taijiya. Even Shippou, relentlessly fighting with his foxfire, had matured enough to be doing some decent damage as he attacked.

A choked sob came from the girl on his back as she climbed off of him. He didn't need to look at what she'd seen, he already knew what upset her…He'd smelled it long before their arrival. "Why… why would he _do_ this?" she said softly, dragging her bow from its place on her back. "She never did anything to anyone---_none_ of them did."

Slowly looking over the remains of the villagers, he recognized more faces then he wanted to: the father of the three year old he'd saved from the lake last year… the man whose home Miroku _had_ actually vanquished a spirit from… families of several children Kagome had healed with some of her 'special medicine'… even parents of some of the kids Shippou had befriended on their returns to the village.

His throat felt thick, choked as he grabbed the arrow from the bow as Kagome cocked it. She glared at him before crying in disbelief, "What are you _doing_?"

"Save your arrows; it won't bring them back."

"_They killed Kaede!_"

"_I know!_" he yelled, unconsciously snapping the arrow in his hand. "Sango and Miroku can handle it. They have to."

"But…"

"They can help the villagers, Kagome," he sighed, wishing he didn't need to tell her what was happening. "Your family needs us."

"Oh...right…" she said, taking a couple of steps in the direction of the well before pausing in her stride, her face paling as she slowly turned to face him. Speechless, her mouth tried to form the right words, but nothing would come out.

Taking pity on her, he dragged her on his back with his free hand and took off for the time slip. "Hold on tight, I'm gonna give Sango more room," he said, landing on the edge of the well before turning to face the youkai that were slowly gaining ground on the taijiya. "Sango, _move_!"

The taijiya turned, catching Hiraikotsu as it returned by instinct alone, before quickly moving from InuYasha's path. Choosing one of his more powerful attacks, he lifted Tetsusaiga above his head, as Kagome tightened her grip around his neck. _"Kongousouha!_"

He didn't even take the time to see what damage he'd done, just turned to leap into the well. "When I get back, you guys better be done with them. I don't wanna have to do _all_ the work," he said to Miroku, making the monk chuckle knowingly.

"The barrier is going up as soon as you are through. You won't be allowed back until we are finished with them all anyway."

InuYasha snorted, "We? I think you mean Sango."

"Yes…well…Shippou is helping too."

"Sure he is," the hanyou said doubtfully.

"InuYasha, what if Naraku found a way to close the well?" Kagome whispered.

"He didn't," he answered, dropping into the time slip. _'He just wanted through.'_

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

_A/N:_

_Looks at date of last update Wow…two updates in a row that took less then a month._

_Please don't die of shock…_

_I do not own InuYasha or the characters affiliated with the Manga and Anime. They are the property of Rumiko Takahashi…I am just 'borrowing' them for my own nefarious deeds. I own nothing, suing me won't help anyone._

_Sari-15_


	4. Abetment

**Abetment**

Chapter Four

Naraku hadn't blocked the well; it let InuYasha and her through the same way it always had. Her relief at that was short lived though, as she realized exactly _what_ InuYasha had been concerned about. Sword still drawn, he looked deep in thought as he climbed the well house stairs. Following on his heels, she studied him for any change in his expression, any hint that might tell her what he'd discovered.

He was tense, almost as if he feared what lay outside the well house as much as she did. An unfamiliar aura surrounded the shrine; dark, malicious—it didn't belong. She rubbed her arms with her hands, trying to settle the unnerving gooseflesh that had suddenly appeared.

Flinching as a thunderous crash from above drew her attention, she was surprised to see that the ceiling, which had been there seconds ago, was now missing. Sunlight filtered in, illuminating the dust from the rubble in the normally dark well house. _'What was that? Did something just tear off the roof?'_ A piercing creak and a low groan followed by the sound of splintering wood. Unable to move, she could only watch as the walls fell apart. The dust billowed around her in a dense cloud, invaded her lungs as she fought to breathe.

"Damn, the brat's in the house," InuYasha muttered to himself.

Staring in disbelief, her home slowly came into view as the hanyou's words rang in her ears. A hysterical laugh swelled in her throat, threatened to snap her final thread of sanity as the truth sunk in. Half of the shrine was missing, reduced to the same rubble as the well house; the other half alight with angry flames. Unable to tear her gaze away, the dancing fire hypnotized her as she felt herself being dragged out of the debris. She wanted to ask him, needed to know…but when she opened her mouth to try, a rasping cough prevented her from saying anything.

"Everyone's fine…" InuYasha growled, glaring at her as if he thought she was coughing so hard just to spite him.

His response calmed her slightly, noticing how he'd known just what she was going to ask without her having to say anything. Her coughing subsided as she found herself able to breathe easier, allowing InuYasha to take her wherever he was going. Another thunderous crash sounded as a purple youkai slammed into what used to be her room, reducing it to flames and rubble. Yanking her hand from the hanyou, she quickly drew an arrow from her quiver and cocked the bow, aiming for the minor youkai. The streak of pink flew across the grounds of the shrine before purifying the creature.

A deafening groan gave the only warning before the part of the shrine that had been alight with flames, collapsed. "_Souta!_" she yelled, taking off toward the ruins. She only made it a couple of steps before she found herself dragged into the hanyou's grasp as he carried her away from the fire. "_No_! My brother is in there! _Souta!_ InuYasha, _do something_!"

She fought against him, knowing it was fruitless but not sure what else she _could_ do. It only made him tighten his hold on her even more, until he dropped her beneath Goshinboku. Any confusion on why he'd brought her here was answered as she found herself between Mama and Grandpa.

"I'll be right back with the brat. These youkai are pitiful—even you can protect these two while I'm gone," he said, turning and racing into the flames to retrieve her brother.

"Are you guys okay?" she asked, looking both family members over for obvious injuries. Covered in soot and smelling of smoke, they were unharmed for the most part physically. Emotionally things didn't look good; Mama's whole body was shaking, her eyes full of guilt and brimming with tears. Grandpa couldn't stop staring at the fire, as if by will alone he could make the devastation disappear.

"I'm just glad you're here, Kagome. I was w-worried," Mrs. Higurashi answered, her voice breaking on the final word. Kagome knelt down to inspect a large gash on Grandpa's leg. "Is…is he going to be okay going into the fire?"

Pulling her backpack from her shoulders, Kagome opened it—searching for her first aid kit. "His clothes repel fire, if that what you're worried about," she said, pulling some gauze and ointment from the box before putting the kit away. Giving a humorless laugh, she added, "Not that fire would bother him …someone can shove a hand through his chest and he barely notices. You'd think _that_ would hurt a little, but he acts like it never happened."

A howl sounded as a youkai crashed into a tree near the remains of the well house. Handing the supplies to Mama, Kagome picked up her bow and yanked an arrow from the quiver. Aiming for the slow moving olive colored youkai, she released the arrow and watched as its pink glow race to purify the youkai.

"Oh my…" Mama whispered, her eyes widening in shock at the sight.

Kagome heaved a nervous sigh before placing her bow on the ground and kneeling next to Grandpa. "InuYasha will be fine; he'll get Souta out of there," she said, trying to sound more confident than she felt. No matter how irrational it seemed to her, if she stopped talking, she would breakdown—she knew she would. "He knows how much my family means to me; he'd never let me down."

"Kagome, where did you learn how to do that?" her grandfather demanded.

She shrugged, taking the first aid supplies from her mother. "I told you, I'm the reincarnation of a miko. Kaede has been…" she trailed off, realizing what she almost said.

'_Kaede's dead, Kagome. Remember? She's not training you anymore. She was killed in the attack—she's gone.'_

"Kagome?"

Distracted by her thoughts, her mother's voice pulled her from her reverie and back to the present. "Kaede h-had been training me these past years," she managed to choke out. "She's gone; _h-he_ killed her. Villagers…gone…w-well."

"Kagome, you aren't making any sense," Mama said, pulling Kagome into a soothing embrace. "What's going on, exactly?"

Until that moment she hadn't realized the burning wetness rolling down her cheeks were tears, hadn't realized how tense, how frightened she was. Being in her mother's arms had a cathartic effect, as if she was a child in need of comforting from a nightmare. Slowly, she pulled away from her mother's hold, wiping the tears from her face.

'_You can't wake up from this, Kagome. It's not a silly nightmare that will be gone come morning. InuYasha left them in your protection; you can't let them down.' _

"I don't know how, but Naraku sent these creatures through the well," she explained, her voice weary, strained from emotions. "H-he tricked us, got us out of the village. By the time we realized it was a trap, he'd already started his attack. K-kaede—she's gone. So many of the villagers just _died_ to protect something they had no involvement in. We couldn't even stay to help, I don't know what we'll find when we go back. Our friends…we just left them there to take care of it on their own. The well…all to get through _my_ well."

Sometime during the brief explanation, Grandpa had taken her hand in his own, offered her some of his own strength. Staring at the hands, linked as they were, Kagome suddenly realized how self-centered she sounded. Sitting there, wanting comfort from her mother and grandfather wouldn't get rid of the youkai. It wouldn't put out the fire, save her brother or repair the shrine. Giving an appreciative squeeze before freeing her hand from his grasp, she needed to refocus her attention on what was important at _that_ moment.

Quickly applying ointment to Grandpa's injury, she kept her senses open for any movement in the area. In the distance, she could discern the wail of sirens and realized the fire department was on its way. Frantically searching the visible remains of the house for any sign of the hanyou, there were too many youkai milling around the grounds for her to handle alone before the authorities arrived. Tearing off the gauze as she finished wrapping Grandpa's leg, she grabbed her bow and got to her feet.

'_Come on, InuYasha. Get Souta and hurry out here to help me.'_ Pulling another arrow from the quiver, she aimed at a youkai that lurked around the tree that used to stand outside her window. Firing, only one thought ran through her head, consumed her attention.

'_I refuse to let Naraku destroy my life, too.'_

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

'_This isn't working,'_ she thought, grabbing the band of leather as Hiraikotsu returned to her. Hefting the weapon over her shoulder, Sango assessed the situation, looking for an opening that would do the most damage. Problem was; she wasn't finding that gap anywhere. There were too many youkai, and she didn't have enough room to get a decent release with Hiraikotsu.

Her feet spread shoulder width apart as she eyed the youkai—she waited. Engrossed in battle, she didn't have time to see how the others that fought alongside her fared. Every so often, she braved a glance at Miroku, making sure he was safe as he protected the well. Ofuda out, his only weapon left as he'd slammed the end of his shakujo into the ground to hold the barrier, he'd gotten every youkai that managed to get past her—so far.

'_Finally,'_ she thought, pulling every ounce of her strength as she heaved Hiraikotsu over her shoulder. It soared after Shippou's foxfire, a technique that over the past year had morphed into an image of a kitsune, before bypassing his attack and destroying a large amount of youkai directly behind it. The dual attack worked side by side taking out the largest amount they could manage in the shortest time. Any youkai Shippou's attack didn't annihilate, Hiraikotsu usually managed to get on the way back to Sango.

This strategy would only hold off the youkai; it wouldn't help defeat them. There were too many of them, and not enough humans left to fight. Her goal had changed from conquering them to keeping them away from the well. She'd seen several go through the well before either InuYasha or Kagome had been there to follow. Youkai didn't belong in Kagome's time, and she refused to be the one to let any of them through. She was a trained taijiya—the only one left. With Shippou's help, she could do this.

Watching the weapon on its return, she unsheathed her katana as Hiraikotsu missed three of the youkai. Ignoring the boomerang as it clattered to the ground nearby, Sango lunged at the first youkai, running it through with her blade. Twisting the hilt slightly before changing direction with the strike, she dropped down to one knee as an explosion of youkai entrails confirmed that she'd successfully sliced through her opponent.

From the corner of her eye, Sango watched as Shippou dove for another of the stray youkai, sinking his fangs into its tail. Digging his claws into the creature as it howled, the kitsune forcefully dragged it to the ground before ripping it apart with his paws. Seconds later, youkai remains covered the ground— the remnants of Shippou's kill.

'_Two down, one to go,'_ Sango thought, pushing herself back to her feet as she scanned the battlefield for the stray youkai. They needed to dispose of it quickly; the main swarm of youkai was closer than when they'd attacked the mass moments ago.

"Sango!"

Turning at Miroku's cry, lightening hot pain laced through her shoulder as she stumbled to the ground from the impact. She'd found the stray youkai, or rather it had found her first. At the last second she'd stabbed through it's midsection with her katana, but hadn't been able to protect herself fast enough. Holding her right arm against her stomach, she cringed as hot sticky liquid slowly dripped down her arm. Switching the hilt to her left hand, she pulled the sword out of the youkai before slamming the end of the blade into the ground to help push herself to her feet.

'_This isn't good,'_ she thought, watching Shippou frantically releasing foxfire in small ineffective attacks, wounding his prey but not killing them. Sango realized then, there were only three still battling. Only the three of them left protecting the well. Without her throwing arm, she wouldn't be much help—she couldn't wield her sword with her left. Miroku couldn't use his strongest weapon at all with the saimyoshou lingering amid the youkai. The only one strong enough to fight was Shippou, and although he'd gotten quite strong in the past couple of years, he was still just a kid.

The gentle clank of prayer beads hitting each other pulled her from her reverie, eyes widening she turned and watched as Miroku removed the rosary and released the kazaana. Gripping his right wrist with his left hand, he held his ground as the youkai fought against the curse.

'_I should have known,'_ she thought, shaking her head in frustration at the monk. Slamming her katana in its scabbard as she ran, approaching Miroku from the side to avoid the wind. Grabbing the back of his hand, she knocked him down as she yanked the rosary from his left hand. "Houshi-sama, that's not your job," she growled, wincing in pain as she rewrapped the kazaana. Too determined to stop him, she'd discarded the fact that she'd injured her shoulder. "Get in the barrier."

"_What?_"

"Get _in_ the barrier, _now_."

"But, Sango--"

"You have one job," she said, rolling off him and struggling to her feet. "You need to protect the well. Don't be stupid and think that you can save us by taking on the saimyoshou poison. All that will do is prevent you from holding up the barrier. If it goes down, InuYasha and Kagome don't stand a chance. They need you more than Shippou and I right now."

"Sango, you're _injured_!" he argued, as she pushed him back toward the well--shoving him into the barrier. "You won't survive, you can't _do_ this."

"I'll be doing what I needed to do," she gave him a sad smile. "I was born a taijiya—and I'll die one. Defeating Naraku might not be my destiny, but I know whose it is. They are the important ones, Houshi-sama."

Slowly turning away from the monk, Sango watched as Shippou fought the mass of youkai near him. Seven on one, he didn't stand a chance against them—but he stood strong and fought with determination, just as he'd been taught. Yanking her katana out of her scabbard, Sango held her head high and walked into the midst of the battle.

'_I am taijiya; this is my destiny. I will fight with honor; I will die with honor.'_

Pulling her right arm as close to her side as she could get it to go, she gripped the sword in her left hand. The unfamiliar grip made her usual confidence falter a little as she quickly found herself surrounded by youkai. Determined to go down with honor, and a fight, Sango slashed through the abdomen of one before turning and slicing off the head of another.

"_Fuujin no Mai!_"

The urge to drop to the ground, sobbing, overwhelmed the taijiya. If she hadn't been fighting four youkai at the time, she would have. The wind sped up around her, rushed past her, seemingly in all places at once as if it had a life of its own. Hope swelled in her chest, with a rush of strength she slammed the katana through a youkai's midsection before turning to slice through a second. Moments later, everything was silent except for the sound of a pair of bare feet as they touched the ground.

Their unlikely savior had arrived.

"That stench is everywhere," the feminine voice snorted behind her. "What do you think he wants with a stupid well?"

Sango opened her mouth to answer, but another voice interrupted her. "It is covered with the scent of the half-breed and his wench, as well. It is none of our concern."

Shippou stared at the new arrivals, looking confused about what to think about their sudden appearance. Sango finally gave into the urge, and dropped to the ground in an exhausted heap. Thankful to be alive, she was content to watch as Miroku approached them. Haggard and worn, he looked just like she felt, which almost made her feel sorry for him. He gave her a grateful smile before sinking down to inspect her shoulder.

"InuYasha and Kagome, eh?" the female murmured, slowly making her way to the well. "Something of interest to your brother _and_ Naraku...I think it _is_ our concern."

"Kagura…"

"You can't sulk every time your brother beats us someplace," Kagura growled over her shoulder.

"He did not beat us; he lives here," Sesshoumaru replied, glaring as Kagura blatantly ignored his opinion. Only a few moments later, he too made his way to the barrier.

_'I don't understand them,'_ she thought, watching as the rest of Sesshoumaru's traveling companions emerged from the forest.

"People think that we are an interesting group," Miroku commented, tearing a strip of fabric off the bottom his robe.

Sango looked over her shoulder at him, smiling as he pulled ointment from her shoulder pad for her injury. "I don't know, I think they win hands down. Four full youkai and a human girl? No contest."

"You think?" Miroku chuckled, wrapping her shoulder in the fabric. "Two full youkai, a taijiya, a monk, a hanyou and a girl from the future? Sango dear, there is no comparison for us."

"True..." she sighed, leaning back against him as soon as he finished tying the bandage.

_'We may be different, but there's no place I'd rather be.'_

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Holding the sleeve of his fire rat over his face to block out the smoke, InuYasha entered the blaze. His senses dulled from the scent of burning wood, it took him a few moments to locate Souta in the debris. _'You're one lucky kid,' _he thought, heading toward what should have been the kitchen.

One of the only rooms unaffected by the flames, it didn't take long to find the kid hiding in the corner. "Inu-nii-chan!" Souta yelled, eyes wide with surprise. "I knew you would save me."

'_What?'_ InuYasha almost tripped from the shock of Souta's announcement, wondering where the confidence came from. "Are you stupid, kid? Why didn't you get out?"

"Buyo, I can't find Buyo," Souta replied, "We can't just leave him here; he won't get out on his own."

'_Buyo?' _Kagome's mom, Kagome's Grandpa, and Souta—he hadn't missed anyone in the family. He _knew_ he hadn't, "Buyo…Who's _Buyo_?"

"The _cat_!"

'_The…cat…'_ InuYasha sighed, suddenly remembering the stupid fat cat Kagome had. Why Souta would be concerned about it enough to _not_ leave the house, he couldn't understand. "Where's it at?"

"I don't know; I couldn't find him."

"Stay here. I'll be right back with your stupid cat," InuYasha growled, pulling off his fire rat haori. Handing the shirt to Souta, he instructed, "Keep that on. It'll protect you from the fire."

"Don't you need it?" Souta asked as he pushed his arms into the sleeves.

"Nah, I'll be fine without it. I'm not made like you, remember?" he answered, turning away from the boy—following the scent of the cat.

It didn't take long to track its location. Within moments, he found himself standing in front of the closet in the foyer. There were several burning logs between him and the door, hanyou or not, getting rid of them would be painful—if only for a day. _'Keh, this so isn't worth it,'_ he thought, grabbing the first smoldering piece of timber with his left hand.

At first InuYasha couldn't tell if it was alive or not, when he opened the closet, but Buyo hadn't been pleased with the disturbance in his nap and gave the hanyou a glare. "You've got to be kidding me! The brat's all worried about you and what are you doing? Taking a fucking nap!"

Buyo yawned and laid his head on his paws, ignoring the hanyou.

InuYasha growled, grasping the cat by the scruff of the neck, "I should leave your ass here, but Kagome would get pissed at me." Buyo hissed as InuYasha picked him up and headed back to Souta.

As soon as he reached the kid, he dropped the cat in Souta's lap. "There, let's get you outta here." InuYasha knelt down to let Souta climb on his back. The kid held tight to Buyo, even as his coughing from the smoke became uncontrollable. InuYasha moved as quick as he could, wanting to get Souta out of the house as quickly as he could. Moments later, he broke free from the shrine and made his way toward Goshinboku.

"Is that _K-kagome_?" Souta managed to cough out.

InuYasha paused, taking the opportunity to do something he rarely did—watch Kagome fight. Her spiritual energy shone, determination lit her gaze as she released an arrow. Her aim was true; she hit her target dead on—purifying it. "Yep," he replied, taking off again. He couldn't help thinking that no matter how graceful she looked fighting, he preferred protecting her.

"Wow, Kagome, t-that's so _cool_!" Souta wheezed, as he climbed off InuYasha, dropping Buyo to the ground.

"Oi, put that thing away before you hurt someone!" InuYasha yelled, grabbing the arrow from her.

She stared at her empty hand a moment, before lifting her gaze to meet his, narrowing her eyes. "Then, do something about _them_!" she growled, lifting her arm to indicate the youkai. "The authorities will be here any _second_; I can't have youkai running around when the fire department gets here."

"Keh, no problem," he scoffed, yanking Tetsusaiga from its sheath.

"No! You can't use that out here," she cried, "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that you told me to get rid of them."

"Not like _that_; just use your claws," she replied.

"Seconds, wench, _seconds_!"

"You can do seconds with your claws, there's only about twelve of them."

He looked down at her as she smiled at him. _'Damn it…,'_ he thought, putting the sword away. "Fine, I can do seconds with claws…" he sighed, taking off after the nearest one, wondering why her faith made him feel like he could do anything.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

_A/N_

_Yes, I know that Kagura is dead.__Yes, I like to live in denial…really…_

_I have no problems discarding canon events. _

_It is not a pet peeve of mine._

_Really…I love when people do that._

_Walks away giggling_

_I do not own InuYasha or the characters affiliated with the Manga and Anime. They are the property of Rumiko Takahashi…I am just 'borrowing' them for my own nefarious deeds. I own nothing, suing me won't help anyone._

_Sari-15_


	5. Retribution

**Retribution**

Chapter Five

Landing in the dirt, InuYasha noticed the bluish barrier that still surrounded the outside of the well. The grip surrounding his neck tightened slightly, to which he gently squeezed his hold on Kagome's legs in response. They both realized that the barrier meant the safety of one of their friends, Miroku. "You'd think if they'd wanted our help they'd take down the barrier once we got here," he growled, loud enough for people to hear him outside the well.

"Well, _this_ is an interesting development. I know the well was empty just a second ago."

'_What the...? Is that…?'_

The crimson eyes that appeared to peer into the well confirmed it, Kagura. _'Damn it all, wherever Kagura shows up…that piece of crap brother of mine shows up, too.'_

"I'd like to know how an empty well—with a barrier—is suddenly full with a puppy and his human bitch," Kagura chuckled. "You can't just appear out of nowhere."

"She ain't my bitch!" he growled at the wind youkai. "Where's Miroku? Tell him to get the fucking barrier down so we can get outta here."

"What are you doing here, Kagura? Is everyone okay?" Kagome asked, indicating she wanted down by the way she pushed against his back. Ignoring her wishes, he tightened his hold in response.

"Yeah, yeah, the monk is taking down the barrier as we speak. Your taijiya friend is pretty beat up, but she'll survive." Kagura looked up as the barrier fell. "The kitsune did pretty well, for being just a kid."

"Keh, he's youkai," InuYasha scoffed, leaping out of the well with Kagome. "Course he did fine."

"Heh…I tend to forget he's not human since he smells like them," Kagura gave the pair the once over as InuYasha landed in front of her. "Speaking of smelling…If she's not your bitch, why do you cover her with your scent?"

Horrified, he let go of Kagome—letting her tumble to the ground with an ominous thud. Feeling the flush rush to his cheeks, he only hoped she hadn't heard what Kagura had asked…and knowing the chances of that were slim to none.

"What was _that_ for?"

Or maybe he was just damned lucky. "You ain't fifteen anymore, wench. All this carrying is making you lazy," he lied. "You should walk more."

Her eyes narrowed, his ears flattened against his head as her aura that constantly surrounded him suddenly sparked with anger. He braced himself, anticipated it, "_Osuwari!_" she growled, as he felt the pull of the rosary drag him down. "If you don't want your scent all over me—_don't insist on carrying me!_ I have _never_ had any problems walking on my own."

He groaned, watching her climb to her feet before storming away from him. She flopped down next to Sango and Rin, accepting a flower crown from the younger girl before pulling off her backpack and fishing for her first aid kit. He wasn't surprised to see her immediately checking on her Sango's injuries. She always worried about others first, especially those she cared about most.

"What was that about?"

Groaning, InuYasha looked up to see Miroku and Shippou wandering toward him with identical smirks on their faces. The kitsune didn't even try to hide that he'd heard the entire conversation

"None of your business, monk." Sitting up, InuYasha watched as Kagura leapt up onto the lip of the well, "Oi, get away from there."

"Aren't you remotely curious, Sesshoumaru?" Kagura asked, slowly walking around the edge of the well on her tiptoes. Sesshoumaru didn't seem to care either way, he just stood near Ah-Un watching the whole scene. "I mean, InuYasha and his mate just landed in the bottom of the well. I know they weren't there before."

"_She's not my mate!_"

"Oh, that's right, you prefer to call her your wench," Kagura laughed, sitting down on the edge of the well, dangling her feet into it. "Are you going to enlighten us? How did the two of you suddenly appear?"

"She ain't _mine_," he growled, climbing to his feet and storming over to the wind youkai. Grasping her by the upper arm, he yanked her off the edge of the well and shoved her toward Sesshoumaru. "Don't you have any control over your mate, Sesshoumaru? If you wanna know about the well, you'll have to ask _Kagome_. It's her secret to tell."

Catching Kagura as she fell into him, Sesshoumaru narrowed his gaze at InuYasha, "Controlling her would make this Sesshoumaru no better then Naraku. She is the wind; she does as she pleases."

"Well she needs to do what she pleases—away from the well," he growled, making sure he stood between them and the time slip.

"You make such a good watchdog, InuYasha," Kagura quipped, removing herself from Sesshoumaru's grasp and heading toward Kagome.

"You should have left her in the afterlife; she's fucking uncontrollable."

"She's free," Sesshoumaru said, an expression of boredom on his face. Slowly he removed Tenseiga from its sheath as he walked into the middle of the remains of the battlefield.

"We should start burying the dead, InuYasha. It's gonna be a long night," Miroku commented, before following InuYasha's gaze to Sesshoumaru's actions in the middle of the destruction. "I still find it difficult to believe that he does this---even seeing it with my own eyes doesn't convince me."

Slowly Sesshoumaru walked through the battlefield, as if he waited for some sort of sign. Randomly slashing into air, no rhyme or reason to his actions, it only took a moment before he sheathed his sword. Seven villagers that had been dead moments before slowly moved again—as the tai-youkai followed his mate.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

'_Well that was strange,'_ she thought, watching Sesshoumaru slowly walk into InuYasha's Forest with his companions. Never in a million years had she thought that she'd have to explain her sudden appearance into the Sengoku Jidai to _him_ of all people. Typically the tai-youkai ignored her; the only real contact with their group when he spoke with InuYasha—which wasn't often.

She'd hoped InuYasha would forbid it; it was _their_ well, after all. He hadn't though. With a nod of approval the hanyou had followed Miroku to go bury the villagers—leaving Kagome and Sango to explain everything. In the end, Sesshoumaru hadn't seemed to care either way. She could have refused to tell him; it probably wouldn't have made a difference.

Kagura made up for his indifference ten-fold, insisting on exploring the well once she found out where it led. Before Kagome could stop her, Kagura had landed in the bottom of the well—much to her disappointment. Kagome figured if anyone would be able to get through the well besides InuYasha and her, it would be Kagura.

"InuYasha said Kagura still is one of Naraku's incarnations, right?" she asked, watching as Rin pushed Jaken off Ah-Un.

"As far as we know," Sango answered. "No one really knows how Sesshoumaru brought her back. InuYasha says she still smells like Naraku though."

Kagome shook her head slightly, "I just thought…maybe it was stupid…"

"Thought what?"

Bending down, Kagome helped Sango get to her feet so she wouldn't strain her injury, "Well, if Kagura is still technically one of Naraku's youkai, why couldn't she get through the well?"

Sango frowned, turning to watch as the group disappeared into the forest, "You're right. I almost thought Naraku had just opened the well—letting anyone get through."

"It doesn't make any sense. If his youkai can get through, wouldn't that mean Kagura could?" Kagome sighed, picking up her backpack from the ground. "I guess I just don't understand how those youkai got through, but others can't. What did Naraku do to open the well for certain youkai?"

"Oi!"

Turning toward the voice, a dirt covered InuYasha landed next to them with his typical scowl plastered on his face. Unable to help herself she smiled, the grime on his face made the gold in his eyes look several shades brighter then normal. "You're a mess," she laughed, brushing some of the loose dust from his cheek.

"Keh," he growled, nudging her hand away from his face as his cheeks reddened. "I think we're almost done."

"Oh?" looking behind him, she watched as Miroku blessed one of the graves. The villagers that Sesshoumaru had been able to revive stood alongside him, paying their respects to the fallen. Kagome hadn't paid much attention to the burial as she'd been tending to Sango and explaining things to Sesshoumaru. "Oh…wow…"

"What's wrong, Kagome?" Sango asked.

Biting her lip to stave down the tears that wanted to form, Kagome slowly shook her head in disbelief as Miroku finished his blessing and the villagers gathered their belongings and headed home. "There's a burial site near the shrine that I used to visit from time to time. I never knew why I always felt comfort when I went there, but I would go there if I was upset sometimes. I thought it was strange that I felt welcome, wanted, when I would visit. It calmed me," giving a humorless laugh, she stared at the graves. "It's not right, they shouldn't have welcomed me. I was the reason they were buried there."

"Kagome..." Sango whispered.

Finally losing the battle against the tears as her final thread of sanity snapped, she broke down in sobs. "No! Why does he have to ruin everyone's lives?" Feeling someone wrap their arms around her, she couldn't see who it was, but from the comfort it brought her, she knew it was InuYasha. "Why does there have to be so much death? My families are fine, but he destroyed my homes. Sango's too injured to help bury _another_ village she calls home. What would have happened if Kagura and Sesshoumaru hadn't gotten here in time? Who else would we have buried?"

The only answer she got was InuYasha trying awkwardly to rub her back_. 'I am probably freaking him out,'_ she thought, forcing a ragged breath to calm herself. Not wanting to relinquish the rare comfort from the hanyou, she wrapped her arms around him taking all he would give for as long as he was willing to offer it.

"We still have one more grave, InuYasha," Miroku pressed several minutes later as he replaced the barrier around the well.

She felt him nod his head and loosen his grip on her. Prying herself from him was harder than she'd thought it would be, and she was surprised when he didn't completely let her go. Gladly taking his support, it took her a moment to realize the revived villagers had departed the area, leaving only their little group to bury the remaining villager.

'_That's strange…'_ she thought, glancing around the burial site where Shippou and Kirara sat with the final villager. _'You'd think they'd bury all of them before taking off like that.'_

She watched as Miroku helped Sango walk toward the graves, the defeated posture of the taijiya she'd seen only once before. _'It was just over a year ago when we helped her bury…'_

Suddenly everything was clear, why the villagers had left them alone, why Sango looked almost as traumatized as when they'd buried Kohaku, why InuYasha was still holding her. _'He's not just trying to give me comfort, he needs it too,'_ she thought, wrapping her arms around him again. She felt him relax almost immediately.

"Are you okay to do this, Kagome?"

She nodded, pulling her head away from his chest as tears slowly blurred her vision, but not before noting that it wasn't the dirt making his eyes so bright. Burying her head back into his chest, the grief he felt was palpable to her. "I was wrong when I said my families were safe. Who better to lay Kaede to rest than her family?"

He nodded, giving her a quick squeeze before releasing her from his embrace. Surprising her, he took her hand as they followed after their friends—their family. Kaede had been grandmother, mentor and friend to each of them.

And Kagome knew exactly where she needed to be buried and what needed to be put on the marker they would make for her.

She'd been visiting the grave since she was child.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Why don't you get some sleep?"

Kagome leaned away from his side, trying to make eye contact with him. Instead, InuYasha was staring in the opposite direction, watching the trees as they swayed in the wind. "Why?" she asked, "Aren't we supposed to do this together?"

"Yeah, but I'm not a weak human like you," he replied, his characteristic smirk returning as he turned to look at her. "That's why I have to do this more than the rest of you."

She nudged him playfully with her shoulder, "You volunteered to do it more often than the rest of us, InuYasha."

"Well if the monk wasn't a worthless human like the rest of you--"

"Shippou's not human."

"Might as well be."

"Now, he's gotten pretty powerful lately," Kagome defended. "I wouldn't be surprised if he started beating you--"

"Keh, not likely…"

"You never know, InuYasha," she smiled, leaning up against him again. "He's had a good coach; most students like to surpass their teacher."

"So he's gonna be uncontrollable lecher like Miroku?"

"I'm not talking about Miroku…" she grinned, nudging him again.

"Well, he'd better do better then Miroku," InuYasha scoffed. "Stupid monk can't even keep a barrier up for very long."

"I don't mind having to protect the well. It's a nice night out and I get to spend time with you."

"Keh," he grumbled, looking out to the trees again. From his tone she could tell he was blushing. "We're not here for fun, Kagome. Go to sleep."

"Just cause we're here protecting the well, doesn't mean we can't enjoy our time together, besides it's almost morning. Miroku will be here to put up the barrier for the day in a little bit."

"Whatever. You talk too much anyway."

She grinned, "Where do you think Sesshoumaru and Kagura went?"

"Why should I care?"

"He's your brother; I just wonder where they went."

"I dunno; they're out there," he sighed, "Somewhere in the forest just wandering around, waiting for a sign from Naraku."

For some reason, that hadn't been the answer she'd been expecting. "They're staying in the forest?"

"Yeah…"

"Kagura tried to go through the well today," she commented. It must have piqued his interest, his ear nearest her twitched several times before finally resting. "She didn't get through. The well rejected her."

"One less thing to worry about," he growled, wrapping his arms around Tetsusaiga a little tighter.

"Yeah, I thought maybe Naraku had opened the well for anyone to get through," she sighed in relief. "How did he get it to let only his demons through—but not Kagura?"

His brows furrowed and a slight frown graced his face as he reflected about her comments. He didn't say anything for a few moments, and she finally turned away, leaving him to his thoughts. "It's gotta be something he's done recently, but how did he do it?" he sighed, his knuckles turning white as he tightened his hold on Tetsusaiga. "Damn it…what did he do to get them through?"

"I don't know…but we can't protect the well forever, InuYasha," Kagome looked up to see Miroku exiting the forest. "We will have to leave the village sooner or later."

InuYasha helped Kagome to her feet at the monks approach, "I know," he said, releasing a breath of frustration before turning to Miroku. "I just have a bad feeling about everything…"

"You two will be back by sunset, correct?"

"Yeah, don't you be late," InuYasha growled as she tied a handkerchief over his ears. "The last thing I wanna do is sit in the bottom of the well waiting for your ass to come take the barrier down."

"Yes, InuYasha," Miroku nodded sagely. "I will make sure to be here on time; I promise you."

"Keh," he replied, seemingly satisfied with Miroku's answer. As soon as she got her backpack on, she found herself dragged onto his back—and down the well. The light of the time slip opened as they traveled back to Kagome's time.

Though it had only been hours since they'd left, the differences that welcomed them were staggering. The light shining into the well, the smell of smoldering wood, the uprooted trees, the destruction of the shrine—all reminders of what they'd had to do the day before. Her home---the place she'd grown up… it'd been reduced to rubble. Everything that she owned had been here…her memories and belongings… they didn't exist anymore.

"Where's this ho-tel place at?"

She looked up from the destruction to find InuYasha watching her with a frown, "Oh…not far…"

"You okay?"

"Yeah…I just never thought anything like this would ever happen," she answered quietly. "Never imagined that what I did there would impact the people I know here. Everything I had of my father was in that shrine…"

"Your old man?"

Kagome almost smiled at the look of confusion that crossed his face, "Yeah, my dad. He died when I was pretty young—Souta was still just a baby. There weren't many reminders, just a few pictures. I am sure they were all lost in the fire, though."

He looked like he wanted to say something else, but finally turned away and headed toward the stairs. Kagome sighed before following behind him. She wanted to check on her family and make sure they had gotten settled before they had to get back to the Sengoku Jidai.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"_Stop it!_"

Trying to block out Kagome's intolerable screeching, InuYasha flattened his ears against his head as he growled, "_What?_"

Her eyes narrowed, "Stop glaring at me like somehow this is _my_ fault! It's not, you know."

"_I never said it wa_s!" he scowled, jamming his arms in his haori as he folded them across his stomach. "Miroku _said_ he'd be here. Shoulda known he'd—_damn it_!"

"What _now_?" she sighed.

Yanking Tetsusaiga out in the same motion he got to his feet, he growled as the scent slowly filled the well. "Where the fuck is Miroku? Why are _you_ here?"

"Well, this is a familiar scene…" Kagura's laughter floated down. "Don't worry; your friends are on their way."

"You didn't answer me: why are you here?"

"Rin was hungry," Sesshoumaru answered. "Your monk is here."

Dragging Kagome onto his back as the barrier fell, InuYasha re-sheathed his sword and leapt out of the well. He found himself assaulted by the varied scent of everyone at the well, almost as if the barrier had been blocking that too. Letting Kagome down, he took a moment to adjust to his abused senses.

'_Kagome…Miroku…Rin…Kagura…Sango…Jaken…Kouga…Sesshoumaru…Shippou…'_ He heard the unsheathing of Tenseiga, but it took a moment to realize what it was. _'Wait…Kouga…?'_

"Hey Kago—_You_!" The wolf always had one goal in mind when he came sniffing around—Kagome. So, when InuYasha jumped in front of Kagome to block her from the wolf's usual advances, he was surprised to see Kouga change his destination. Claws out, teeth bared, the wolf was determined to reach his prey.

InuYasha smirked, watching the unfolding scene with amusement, _'Too bad he ain't getting near her.'_

"Do you have a problem with my mate, wolf?" Sesshoumaru said impassively, Tenseiga leveled at Kouga's throat.

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_A/N_

I do have an account at Mediaminer that I tend to update better. If there isn't a chapter here in the next month, check there. Sari-15 (add the dash)

_I do not own InuYasha or the characters affiliated with the Manga and Anime. They are the property of Rumiko Takahashi…I am just 'borrowing' them for my own nefarious deeds. I own nothing, suing me won't help anyone._

_Sari-15_


	6. Barriers

**Barriers**

Chapter Six

'_What the…?' _ InuYasha glanced over his shoulder making sure it really was Kagome behind him, before turning back to watch the quickly escalating spectacle in front of them. "Why the hell…?"

She clung to his back, watching the two youkai as they stood –weapons poised to kill. "I don't get it…" Kagome said quietly.

"Hell _yes_, I have a problem with your mate!" Kouga growled; the blades of Goraishi flashing as the sun hit them. "She murdered my pack!"

"Oh yeah…" InuYasha muttered.

"That's right," Kagome replied, as if she'd come up with the answer on her own. "Naraku had Kagura kill his pack, I completely forgot about that."

"I didn't kill them all," Kagura defended, pulling her fan from her kimono. "I left you and them, which was probably a mistake," she replied, pointing to the two wolf tribe members that were running as fast as they could from the woods toward their leader.

"We can rectify that," Sesshoumaru commented coldly, pressing the tip of Tenseiga into the flesh of Kouga's neck, drawing blood.

"No!" Kagome screamed, making InuYasha wince from the sound since she was right next to him. "No! No killing allies!"

Flinching, InuYasha turned to look at her in disbelief. "Allies?" he growled. "Who the fuck are our _allies_?"

"Don't worry, Kagome," Kouga scoffed, leaping back from the reach of Tenseiga's blade as he knocked it out of the way with Goraishi. "It's been my goal to kill this bitch from the start. I never give up when I set my mind to it. I'll kill her, then Naraku, and then you and I can be together forever."

"At least he's telling the truth about never giving up—even if it's a lost cause." Miroku commented.

"Like hell!" InuYasha cursed, pulling Tetsusaiga from its sheath. "What makes you think she's going with you?"

"This is not your battle, half-breed," Sesshoumaru growled, pulling Tenseiga up toward Kouga's neck. The wolf managed to knock the sword away at the last second. "You will not interfere."

"Keh, that's what you think, bastard!" InuYasha replied, racing forward to cut Sesshoumaru off before he was able to reach Kouga. "I've been wanting to kill him for years!"

"InuYasha!" he heard Kagome scold, as a strong gust of wind pushed him away from his target. Slamming the blade into the hard earth, he braced himself against Tetsusaiga in effort to remain standing before turning to look for Kagome.

She stood only a few feet away, obvious displeasure radiating from her as she glared at him with her hands on her hips. He couldn't help but note as he fought to keep his hair from his eyes that her hair remained motionless in the wind.

"Kagura…"

Surprised, InuYasha looked up to see Sesshoumaru fighting the same wind as he growled at his mate. Tenseiga buried in the earth, his brother didn't look too happy to watch Kagura interrupt the battle he had started. Fan poised in front of her, Kagura gracefully dropped from the lip of the well, never taking her eyes off Kouga as she moved.

"It is a battle for neither of you; the wolf is here for me—and me alone," Kagura stated, pulling the fan towards herself as she directed the wind. "Stay out of it—both of you."

With a flick of her wrist, InuYasha found himself having to regain his balance as the force he fought suddenly disappeared. Staggering to his feet, he watched as Kouga smirked, flexing Goraishi in anticipation as Kagura approached.

"Don't worry, mutt-face," Kouga growled, leaping back as he prepared his attack. "Once I deal with these two, you can have your turn playing with Goraishi, too.

'_Damn it, if he releases that_…' InuYasha raced into the middle of the battle, noticing the slight opening the wolf had at Kagura. "You stupid idiot!" Slamming Tetsusaiga against the steel of Goraishi, he pushed back against Kouga to stop the wolf from releasing the attack.

"I thought I told you to wait your turn," Kouga growled, fangs bared as he glared at the hanyou.

"I don't care if you blast each other to fucking smithereens, all three of you," he snarled, bringing Tetsusaiga down since he'd stopped the wolf from unleashing the devastating attack. "But get the hell away from here and do it. If you touch that well at all …"

"Who the fuck cares about that stupid well?" Kouga jeered, still keeping an eye on Kagura as he argued. "It's just a pile of wood that reeks of Naraku."

"Why don't I put the barrier back up?" Miroku interrupted, nervously rubbing the back of his head as he made his way to the well.

Sheathing Tetsusaiga with a sigh, InuYasha moved away from Kouga to locate Kagome. She stood several feet away, watching Miroku as he placed the barrier around the well again. The only sign of fear he could find as he watched her was the way she worried her lower lip in nervousness.

"Kouga's nose must not be working very well," Shippou commented loudly as he slid next to the hanyou. "I'm sure even InuYasha can smell something besides Naraku."

"Oi!" InuYasha growled, striking the kitsune across the top of the head for the comment. "I've never seen yours come in handy yet."

"I just figured your lame ass couldn't afford anything nicer than a hole in the ground," Kouga commented, heading toward Kagome.

"Are we done here, wolf?" Kagura asked as Rin tugged on the edge of her kimono. "We came here to get the kid food, not play with you."

"What?" Kouga stopped mid-reach for Kagome's hands, opting to turn to his attention to Kagura instead. "You killed my pack! Are you stupid? You're not just gonna get away with it!"

"Stop it!" Kagome yelled, planting herself in front of Kouga as he quickly advanced on the wind youkai. "You can't kill her!"

"Why not?"

"Damn it, Kagome!" InuYasha growled, stomping over and grabbing Kagome's upper arm to drag her away from the two youkai. The last thing he wanted to do was let her get in the middle of a battle; she wouldn't stand a chance.

"Your pack killed Rin!" she blurted, fighting as InuYasha dragged her away from the pair of youkai.

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?" InuYasha demanded.

"_Everything!_" she insisted, yanking her arm away from him. "Rin is a part of Kagura's pack. Kagura was under Naraku's rule when she killed them. We should all be worrying about Naraku; we can't do anything about the past. If we start killing each other-- who's going to kill Naraku?"

"I agree with Kagome," Sango added. "We need to put our differences aside to defeat Naraku; it's been three years already."

"Fine," Kouga growled in defeat. "As soon as we beat Naraku—you are next on my list."

"Fair enough," Kagura nodded in agreement, before taking Rin's hand and leading her toward the village.

"I trust you will not give us anymore problems." Sesshoumaru said before turning towards the woods, Jaken and AhUn following as he met them near the trees.

"Kouga!" Ginta cried, racing toward him and away from where Sesshoumaru headed, Hakkaku fast on his heels. "Did you find Naraku?"

"Oh yeah…the well," Kouga answered quietly. "What's the deal with the well? Your stench is all over it, mutt-face. So is Kagome's—why?"

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She was on her last nerve, it was worse than babysitting a dozen infant children when Kouga and InuYasha spent every waking moment vying for her attention. Kagome had tried to explain to Kouga about the well, but for some reason she hadn't been able to tell him exactly _how_ it worked as InuYasha had started ranting and raving about it being none of his business. In the end, Kouga hadn't gotten an explanation other than it was something important to Kagome that Naraku was trying to mess with before InuYasha had goaded the wolf into another one of their battles.

"They just drive me nuts," she growled, storming back to the village and away from their fight. She only hoped that once they burned off their energy their behavior would improve, though she didn't image she'd be so lucky. "They probably don't even realize that I left, they were so absorbed in their stupid fight," she muttered, hitching her backpack on her shoulders higher as she made her way into the village. "Honestly, why do I even try? I give up on those two!"

Stomping onto the porch in frustration, Kagome dropped her bag loudly to get Sango's attention as the taijiya carefully inspected Hiraikotsu for damage. "I'm surprised you managed them as long as you did, Kagome," Sango replied, marking an indention in the weapon so she could fix it later. "Shippou dragged Miroku and me back here the moment InuYasha pulled out Tetsusaiga. You would think after all this time he'd realize it bothered you so much."

"Realize? Yeah...that will be the day," Kagome snorted, taking a seat next to the taijiya. Even though she was injured and was unable to fix her weapon, Sango still did what she could to take care of Hiraikotsu. It was something she took pride in, a piece of her heritage she refused to let go. "I think they only use me as an excuse; they don't care what they are fighting about as long as they can show off their weapons."

"I think they notice when you are gone..." Sango smiled, looking up as the two people in question came crashing through the woods at a breakneck speed. "At least they did this time."

Kagome groaned at the sight of the two of them, weapons still drawn, fighting to beat each other to her side. "Is Miroku inside?" she growled, grabbing her backpack as she got to her feet.

"Yes," Sango replied, putting her weapon to the side as she carefully got to her feet as well. "Why do you ask?"

"I need him to take down the barrier because I am going home!"

Sango just smiled and headed inside to get the houshi as the schoolgirl finally caught the attention of the bickering suitors.

"Like hell you are!" InuYasha yelled, abandoning the fight as he dropped in front of her. "We just got back!"

"I know!" Kagome walked past him, determined to get away before either of them could start their stupid fight again. "I don't want to stay here while the two of you destroy the entire woods with your dominant male routine!"

"We all know who the real dominant male is, don't we, Kagome?" Kouga said, grabbing her hand as he whipped her around to face him. "You're still coming with me when this is all over."

"Oh dear," Sango muttered from somewhere behind them all as Miroku's chuckle carried on the wind.

Irritation rolled off her in waves, something InuYasha had the experience to realize as he slowly backed away from her. Kouga, on the other hand, hadn't had the pleasure of being around her enough to know the warning signs of her temper. She glared at InuYasha before turning to Kouga, " _Shippou!_ Against the two of you, Shippou is definitely the dominant male!" She screamed, yanking her hands away from the youkai's grasp. "He's the most mature of _all_ of you!"

"Huh?" Kouga stood there in shock, positioned as if he still grasped her hands in his.

"Now...I think I am quite insulted by that comment, Kagome," Miroku commented as he continued past the trio with Sango, knowing that the rest of them would catch up soon.

"She hit the nail on the head, Houshi-sama..." Sango replied, laughing.

"Yeah, like the runt could ever..." InuYasha trailed off as she turned her black glare on him before storming off toward the well. "Oi! Kagome!"

She heard them following behind her, but neither made an effort to catch up until she had almost reached the well. Determined to ignore them, she climbed on the edge of the well the instant that Miroku dropped the barrier for her. "When will you come back?" Sango asked, still protectively holding her injured arm.

"Maybe in the morning..." she said, pointedly ignoring the hanyou's sputtering as he arrived behind her. "You can have the barrier down at sunrise; I should be back by then."

"Forget it, Kagome! You ain't going..."

She didn't hear the rest of his comment as she dropped into the time slip.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Kagome!" Kouga yelled, lunging to the side of the well and peering in. "Where the hell did she go, mutt-face?"

InuYasha just rolled his eyes, "Baka...she went _home_, just like she said she would." Kouga climbed onto the lip of the well and peered inside, before dropping down to investigate further. For a split second, InuYasha's heart stopped, fearing the wolf would pass through. Kagome had said that Kagura hadn't been able to make it through, but he still sighed from relief when the damn wolf hit the bottom. Grinning, InuYasha dropped into the well as the time slip quickly reacted to him...if only to throw it in Kouga's face that he _could._

Landing in Kagome's era, he grinned as a sense of victory wrapped around him. He'd proven once and for all that Kouga had no rights to Kagome! Leaping from the well, he landed on the lip of it only to find himself face to face with a furious Kagome. "Oi!" he growled, ignoring her murderous expression. "I thought I told you--"

"Baka!" she interrupted, placing her hands on his chest. "I wanted to get _away_ from you for awhile!"

To his surprise, he felt himself falling back into the well as the time slip triggered again. "Damn it all..." he growled as he returned to his time, resting at the bottom of the well at Kouga's feet. He couldn't believe that Kagome would have the nerve to shove him back in the well; she'd never done anything like that before! _'Except the time she locked you out with the ofudas...'_

"What the hell just happened?" Kouga demanded; glaring as the hanyou got back on his feet. InuYasha ignored him, leaping out of the well to find a very amused looking monk and taijiya looking back at him. Kouga emerged immediately after him, looking both confused an annoyed at what he'd just witnessed. "Where the hell did you go?"

"Keh," he scoffed, his attention quickly diverted as he noticed two figures that emerged from the woods. "It's none of your business..." The two people slowly came into view, but InuYasha had known who they were already.

"Kohaku!" Sango cried, running as fast as she could to her brother's side. Her shoulder slowed her down, but she still managed to quickly reach his side and take a moment to inspect him for injuries as Kikyou walked past the pair.

Slowly the miko made her way to his side, taking a moment to stare at the well before turning to InuYasha. "He was here," she said simply, it was not a question but a statement of fact. "There is a great aura of sadness in this place, many died in order to protect this secret of yours."

Anguish swelled within him anew, she wasn't blaming him, and he knew that. but it didn't mean that he couldn't. The fact that so many had died protecting this object, something that only the two of them had been able to use, weighed heavily on his shoulders. Not only had the villagers died, so had Kaede, Kikyou's sister. "He killed her," he said quietly, staring at the trees in the distance. Unable to face Kikyou, InuYasha's guilt overwhelmed him as he attempted to explain what had happened. "We weren't here; she had no one protecting her. I'm sorry."

"She died with honor, InuYasha. Don't take that away from her," Kikyou replied, kneeling near the well as she inspected it. She took her time, placing her hands on the wood as she quietly sat there. Several moments passed by, and no one bothered the two of them as she worked. Taking a deep breath, as if it pained her, Kikyou slowly rose to her feet. She looked as if she searched for the correct words, not wanting to upset anyone in the vicinity and the expression turned InuYasha's blood cold. Finally, she looked up, meeting his eyes with determination. "This well must be destroyed, InuYasha."

"_Wha?_ Hell no!" he growled, moving to protect the well. Standing between the miko and the time slip, he protectively guarded the well. "You can't just make up your mind like that, Kikyou! It's got nothing to do with you!"

"Can you trust something that Naraku has touched with his hands?" Kikyou turned around to face him again, her expression tinged with a touch of sadness. "What happened that it now requires the monk to cast a barrier around it? Is it still safe? This place _is_ how that girl comes and goes, is it not?"

"Yeah," he replied softly, not liking the way this conversation was quickly heading. He knew Kikyou told the truth; that even with Miroku's barrier the well wasn't safe, no matter how much they tried to pretend it was. Frustration at his inability to protect his friends, to protect Kagome left him panicked and scared. Storming away from the well, he needed time to think, he needed a plan that didn't include completely closing the gateway to Kagome's world.

"It rejects me, InuYasha. Whatever power is contained here, I can not destroy."

The sentence stopped him dead in his tracks; slowly he turned around to face the miko. She had once been his world, he'd never known someone could care that much about him and he'd wanted to stay with her forever. Times had changed; their paths had crossed from time to time. but things weren't the same. Clenching his hands, his claws dug into his palms as they drew blood, he thought about what she was telling him. "What do you mean?" he asked quietly, refusing break eye contact with her as if he dared her to tell it to his face.

"If it comes to it, Kohaku and I are willing to travel with you. I can take her place," Kikyou continued. "She isn't strong enough yet to do it, I'll have to stay and train her until then. My barrier's are stronger than the houshi's, I can cast one that only Kagome can get through until she has the skills to destroy that well."

InuYasha turned around abruptly, refusing to lose his cool in front of everyone and reveal the fear he felt at her words to the others. Unable to speak, he did the only thing he could do by storming for the trees to be alone. Miroku broke away from Sango's side as he headed toward the miko. "Kikyou, you mean to force Kagome to _choose _between her family and us?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

_A/N_

_I am alive and well…I have not forgotten about this story._

_I do not own InuYasha or the characters affiliated with the Manga and Anime. They are the property of Rumiko Takahashi…I am just 'borrowing' them for my own nefarious deeds. I own nothing, suing me won't help anyone._

_Sari-15_


End file.
